Wage and hour violations in the call center industry

Molly Tefend , March 13, 2018

In today’s age of technology and convenience, customer service is often only a phone call or instant message away. And with an increasing consumer demand for faster support and quicker turnaround times, it seems that more industries than ever have turned to call centers as a means to provide streamlined service to their customers.

Today, numerous call centers across a variety of business channels call central Ohio home, including Teleperformance, Call Management Resources, ContactUS Communications, and Total Quality Logistics all operate facilities in the Columbus area. Nationwide, Verizon, DISH, JPMorgan Chase, and Randstad also operate centers in the surrounding vicinity.

Unfortunately for Customer Service Representatives (“CSRs”), call centers are one of the most common places for companies to commit wage violations—either accidentally or intentionally. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), covered nonexempt employees are entitled to receive minimum wage for all hours worked, and overtime compensation at one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek.

The problem is that employers may require their CSRs to perform unpaid “off-the-clock” work in violation of the FLSA. In reality, however, call center employees are entitled to be paid for time spent performing everyday duties such as:

If you work in a call center and feel that you are not being properly paid wages you have earned, Find lawyers for a free consultation at 800-274-5927. You may have a viable claim and we can help you determine the best course of action.